Bitter misunderstandings
by creative-mind78
Summary: Actions have consequences. A simple misunderstanding leads to a chain of events that neither Kate nor Rick would have ever imagined in their worst nightmares... and happiness quickly turns to desperation ...their marriage will be put to the test... very much Angst / Drama, but with an unexpected ending. Give it a shot! Set in mid-season 7 NOW COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

A Castle fanfiction, set in mid-season 7. Of course, I do not own Castle or any of the characters...

This is my very first fanfiction and English is not my first language, so please be gentle with me...

 **Bitter misunderstandings**

"Yes, there is no doubt, Mrs. Castle, you are definitely pregnant. 7 weeks along, I would suppose." Her doctor's words kept spinning around in her head. Just a couple of hours earlier she went to see her OB/GYN - Kate just wanted to be sure the suspicions she had been having for weeks were right. The fatigue, the sickness, her mood changes, not to forget her aching breasts…. it all made perfect sense now. She hadn't gone to work that morning as she usually did. Castle had spent the last days at home anyway, having to finish the latest chapter of Driving Heat, so right now he was not there to question her change of direction in the busy Manhattan morning traffic.

Thus, instead of heading to the precinct, she went straight to Doctor Robertson's office though she didn't have an appointment. Kate just couldn't wait any longer. Fortunately, another woman had cancelled her appointment last-minute so the doctor had time to see her.

Now, as she stepped into Central Park, deep in thought, she had no eyes for the beauty of nature around her or the children that passed her, laughing and running and having ice-cream. It was a bright sunny day, Kate felt the morning sun on her face and for a moment she closed her eyes… _Pregnant_ , she thought, _I am really pregnant. I'm having a baby. Rick's baby._ Kate couldn't help but smile at that idea, but the memory of her doctor's words put a damper on her good mood….

Kate's initial joy about her confirmed pregnancy was cooled off when her doctor informed her that he had concerns regarding her health. After thoroughly examining her, he informed Kate that her baby was perfectly healthy, but, nevertheless, there could occur some risks. Due to her gunshot wound her heart never really gained back its old strength, and Kate had to admit that from time to time she felt a certain weakness in her heart, especially when she was stressed out or physically exhausted.

It felt like a bucket of ice water, her doctor's words, as he insisted: "I want you to have your heart checked out by a specialist, and I want you to have it done rather soon. Your blood pressure is a little too high, that's something we should watch pretty closely. By now, everything else looks just fine, but we want to make sure this pregnancy goes as smoothly as possible for both you and your baby. Due to your medical record I have no other option than to classify this as a high-risk pregnancy. A friend of mine, Dr. Palmer, is a cardiologist at Bellevue Hospital. I'll call him and let him know you will come see him today, if that is fine with you… don't wait too long, Mrs. Castle, that's the best advice I can give you at this point."

With that, she left his office and made her way out of the streets of Manhattan, and now she found herself in Central Park. She had no idea how she got there, she had just walked aimlessly after her doctor's appointment. _How shall I bring the news to Castle,_ Kate thought. _I know he will be thrilled to hear that he'll be a father again._ Of course, the subject of having a baby had come up occasionally, but they had never really talked about it. _Now we will have that conversation_ , Kate chuckled to herself.

She sat down on an empty bench and thought about the best way to bring the big news to her husband. Almost two hours later, her mind filled with countless ideas and thoughts, her empty stomach reminded her that it was lunchtime and by then, Kate had made a decision. Before she would tell Castle anything about the baby, she would go and see a cardiologist just like her OB/GYN had advised her to do.

Hastily, she stood and began walking towards the next street to get a cab. ' _Better now than never_ , she thought. As she approached an empty cab, she waved the driver and hopped inside as soon as he stopped by the sidewalk. "Please take me to Bellevue Hospital, thanks", Kate told him. During the ride, Kate thought briefly about calling Lanie and asking her to join her, but this thought was quickly dismissed. Her mobile, which she already had in her hands, was put back in her bag. ' _No_ , she told herself _, I want Rick to be the first one to hear from me that I'm pregnant'._

"Lady, we're here", the driver interrupted her inner monologue. "Oh, yeah, thanks." After having paid the cab driver absentmindedly, Kate got out of the car and stood tentatively in front of the hospital's entrance.

' _Come on, Kate_ , she told herself, _you can do this. Don't be such a coward_. _You take down murderers for a living, so seeing a doctor should be a piece of cake!'_ With that thought on her mind, Kate took another deep breath and entered the building. She looked around for a moment and quickly found what she was looking for. ' _Okay, so the cardiology is on the third floor. Now, let's find these elevators and go find Dr. Palmer_ , she encouraged herself.

 **Meanwhile, on the third floor, CARDIOLOGY:**

"There's nothing you have to worry about, Mrs. Haas, I can only repeat my colleague's words. The symptoms you have been describing are perfectly harmless, it's what happens to all of us who go for a run after a long break." "Anyway", the brunette woman insisted dramatically, desperately trying to ignore the fact that she was all sweaty and sans make-up, still in her running outfit in front of a handsome man, " I would feel so much better if you could run another ECG on me, now would you?"

Her cardiologist, Dr. Palmer, a calm man in his mid-fifties, gave her a sympathetic look and thought about her proposal for a moment, when Paula assured him:" I can tell you, my health insurance covers all these examinations, so you're on the safe side here. Pleeaase, run these tests so I can be sure everything's fine with me…." After hearing her desperate begging, Doctor Palmer decided on giving in. "Well, if it will make you feel better, Mrs. Haas, who am I to stand between you and your well-being, right?"

Having said that, he escorted her into the closest examination room to run another (unnecessary) ECG. He stopped briefly to inform his younger colleague "Hey, Josh, I just got a call from an OB/GYN who is an old friend of mine, Dr. Robertson, he will send one of his patients to see me today. She's pregnant and might develop a heart condition due to a former gunshot to the heart. If she gets here, can you run an ECG and the usual tests on her? That would be great. Looks like I'll be stuck a little longer with Mrs. Haas here." Giving him an eye-roll that spoke for itself, Dr. Palmer continued to walk to the exam room where Paula was already waiting impatiently.

"Sure", his colleague replied. "What was this patient's name again?"

"It's Castle, Katherine Castle", Dr. Palmer told him. Then he followed Paula into the exam room and closed the door behind him.

' _Oh my god'_ , Josh thought ironically, ' _can this day get even better'_?' He hadn't seen Kate since their break-up, and only knew about her engagement and wedding with Castle through the media. However, he had no time for second thoughts, because as soon as Dr. Palmer disappeared into the exam room, the elevator doors opened and Kate got out.

"Josh", she exclaimed, clearly surprised, "I had no idea you're back in the states, and neither did I now you work _here_. Actually, I came here because…" she stated somehow uncomfortable, but then stopped her ramblings. You could see in her eyes that she was overwhelmed with the whole situation, and didn't know what to say any further. Josh, however, seemed to have found his composure rather quickly and replied with a friendly smile: "My _doctors without borders_ mission in Latin America ended 6 months ago. I came back and took this job offer because I really needed a break from being abroad. Now, don't worry Kate, Dr. Palmer already told me that you would come by, but he is seeing a patient at the moment, so if you are ok with it I would run some tests and do a ECG, yes?" Kate could only look at him with wide eyes. ' _He knows'_ , she thought, wow, that spared me an embarrassing explanation….

"Ok, no problem", she assured him, giving him a short smile. ' _Why not_ , she told herself, _Josh happens to be a great cardiologist, and he knows about my chest injuries, so maybe it's a good thing he does these examinations…'_

Josh guided her into an empty examination room and began to prepare the ECG. "Ok, Kate, please take off your shirt, we will run an ECG first", he asked with a sympathetic, but professional smile. Kate was thankful for him being a professional during the whole examination and not making the whole situation somehow embarrassing for both of them. After several tests were run, Josh left the room to get the results, telling Kate to wait for him in the meantime.

Paula, however, had just been examined by Dr. Palmer in the next exam room. "As I told you, Mrs. Haas, your results do look fine. You are perfectly healthy. Now, if you'll excuse me, there are other patients I need to see. Have a good day" With that said, he left her gaping at him. _No_ , she thought angrily _, that is NOT the way you get to treat Paula Haas!_ ' However, as the doctor had already left the room, she had no other option than to gather her coat and her extravagant bag and head to the elevator.

Just when she came along the exam room next to hers, she couldn't help but eavesdrop on the familiar voice. Peeking through the door which was slightly opened, her jaw almost dropped to the floor. ' _Well, if this isn't Rick's little wife No. 3,_ she thought bitterly. _I wonder what Mrs.-Nikki-Heat-in-real-life is doing here, she doesn't look sick to me at all….'_ Then, these thoughts were quickly forgotten as she saw how Kate took her Doctor into her arms and kissed him on the cheeks. "Thank you so much Josh", she heard Kate say to the tall, handsome doctor, "you have made me the happiest person alive! But, we better hope Rick never learns that we met here….."

 _Now, isn't this getting interesting_ , Paula thought, _that little slut couldn't wait a year of being married until she starts cheating on my poor Rick!_ Without listening any further, she grabbed her mobile and took a snapshot of the people she just spied on, still standing in the exam room, holding each other's hands and smiling like idiots, especially Kate. _I wonder what Rick will say once I'll show him this unique photo of his loving wife_ , Paula thought maliciously. She had never been a fan of Rick's and Kate's relationship, because deep inside, she still lusted after Rick, never having been able to forget that one night of shallow passion they shared in Ibiza a long time ago. Now, it seemed that she found her personal revenge jackpot.

She headed straight to the elevator, stopped, and took her mobile in her hands on her way. Quickly, she dialed Rick's number. Impatiently, Paula waited for him to answer her call. After a couple of seconds that felt like eternity to Paula, he finally answered her call. "Rick", she said in a sweet voice, "I do have some veery interesting news for you. Are you at home? Great. I'm on my way." With that being said, she entered the elevator, put her mobile back into her bag and pushed the button for the first floor. An evil smile spread across her face…. and in her mind she was already imagining various ways how to comfort Rick's soon-to-be broken heart…..

Kate and Josh did not realize that they had just been watched by someone. As soon as Josh had come into the room, examination results in his hand, Kate didn't hesitate, didn't even let him close the door. She just looked at him with big, pleading eyes and asked him "Please Josh, be honest, is everything all right? I need you to tell me the truth…. "Tears were already watering her eyes, but Josh quickly replied "Hey Kate, relax, right now, there is nothing to worry about. I'm glad to inform you that all results came back normal. You are perfectly healthy and your medical history shouldn't be a problem for your pregnancy… "

He couldn't speak any further, as Kate enthusiastically threw her arms around him and exclaimed "Thank you so much Josh, you have made me the happiest person alive. But, we better hope Rick never learns that we met here….. he tends to get really jealous pretty fast, you know. So, I think it is the best this is my final appointment with you, Dr. Davidson", she smiled. Unaware of being watched, Kate reacted by instinct when she kissed Josh on his cheeks. At that moment, she was just so happy and Kate needed to show him how grateful she was for the good news he had just brought…. If only Kate had known that she had just involuntarily started an unpredictable chain of events, she might have done without the kisses and her innocent remarks...

So... thoughts? Shall i continue? Feedback is highly appreciated!


	2. Let the nightmare begin

Thanks for the reviews! The idea for this fanfic kept spinning in my head, so chapter 2 almost wrote itself...

This chapter will be more ANGST and will contain mature themes, that's why I chose the M rating...

Let the nightmare begin...

During her taxi ride to Broome Street, Paula kept playing with the weirdest ideas in her head. _How shall I begin_ … she wondered… _of course I must be very careful, otherwise I will most likely scare him off_ …. Her biggest trump card, was, however, the photo she had quickly taken. Again and again, Paula couldn't help but stare at the small picture on her mobile's screen _. It may not be a master_ _shot_ , she told herself, _but it was clearly recognizable: that little cheater was kissing her doctor_. From the angle the shot was taken, one could even suppose that Kate had kissed him on the mouth. _Even better_ , Paula smirked to herself _. If this wouldn't convince Rick that Kate Beckett was the wrong woman for him, then what else would?_

Soon, her cab ride was over and the driver pulled in. Paula exited the cab hurriedly and made her way towards Rick's building. An overwhelming feeling of perfidious anticipation ran through her veins, showing all over her face and body language. With every step she took towards the entrance, Paula was anxious not to shiver with excitement. The doorman greeted her with his usual politeness; of course, he knew Mrs. Haas was a frequent guest of Mr. Castle, so he saw no need to call him to announce her arrival.

When she got out of the elevator, a decision had been made. Paula's plan how to bear the news to her favorite client was both simple and malicious. As she approached his door, she knocked, first tentatively, but then rather forcefully, impatience now clearly driving her actions…. then the door was finally opened….

 **Meanwhile, at the hospital:**

After Kate had said goodbye to Josh, she left the hospital to grab a bite to eat on her way home. Food cravings had been a frequent occurrence to her lately, and at the moment she was craving cronuts, lots of them. She knew a bakery near her home that made cronuts that were filled with vanilla cream and had a double chocolate icing. _Just what I need right now_ , Kate thought happily, as she made her way to grab a cab.

The ride was short and when Kate entered the bakery, she ordered 3 cronuts along with a big cup of cocoa, take-away of course. _No more coffee for today,_ she thought regretfully. Stepping out on the sidewalk, she stopped walking and, for a minute, considered calling Castle and telling him that she would come home soon. Deciding against that option, she kept walking at a rather quick pace which would take her home within 15 minutes. _Just wait and see, Rick_ , Kate thought happily, _this is going to be one of the best days of your life_ ….. If only she knew she was so far from being right….

 **At the loft…**

"Hello, Paula, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit," Rick inquired rather curiously. Without waiting for him to ask her in, Paula walked determinedly into Rick's living-room. "So, you mentioned some very interesting news, if I recall correctly…? Rick continued his questioning, "What is this all about? And why are you in your gym outfit?"

 _Shit,_ Paula thought _, I totally forgot about that. It's now or never, this might be my only chance_ ….

"Well, Rick," Paula began cautiously," in life, everything happens for a special reason, don't you agree?" Saying those vague words to him, Paula smirked and tried to look as seriously as possible.

"Yes, sure, I guess you are right, Paula," Rick replied confused. He couldn't read her face. Something about her facial expression told him that there was more behind this, so he asked her: "Paula, please, is there anything special you want to tell me? Because if not, I hope you don't mind if I go back to my writing. The chapter is overdue and Gina will rip off my head if I don't mail it to her within the next 24 hours…. "

"Of course, Rick," Paula smiled knowingly. "Just like ripping off band-aid, I'll do it as quickly as possible: your dear wife, Detective Beckett, is cheating on you!"

At first, he was shocked about her words, but then he started laughing and replied with a firm voice: "Never Paula, you must be dreaming, Kate would never do that to me. So, please, don't accuse my wife of things that you cannot prove!" The last words he almost yelled at her, now visibly pissed off by her accusation.

"Fine," Gina said nonchalantly, "I guess, in that case, I have no other option than to show you….." She began rummaging her bag, when Rick interrupted her impatiently, grabbing her wrists in his hands to stop her. "Show me WHAT?" he asked her somehow insecure, suddenly worried by her confident smile and the way she acted as if she clearly knew she was telling the truth. Slowly, he released her wrists from his grip and let her continue her search, already suspecting he would not like what she was looking for…

Without further hesitation, Paula pulled her phone and searched for the pic she had taken of Kate and Josh. Rick stood still, couldn't help but stare at the image in front of him. The sight of his wife kissing her ex-boyfriend almost knocked him off his feet. Jealousy began to burn deep in his guts, and his mind was suddenly filled with countless emotions….helplessness, anger, despair…..

 _No no no_ , _this can't be real_ , he kept telling himself _, no, Kate would never cheat on me with Dr. Motorcycle-boy…this must be an old photo…..._

"Shocking, isn't it?" , his inner monologue was interrupted by Paula, who did a very poor job at hiding that she was beyond thrilled to present Kate's alleged indiscretion to Rick. "I never thought your current wife would be the cheating type, after all… but then, you never really get to know them, wouldn't you agree? Maybe there is more Nikki Heat in her than you would have imagined…... it's…. so…..slutty, " Paula continued inexorably to pour her venom into Rick's heart.

"I- I know this guy," Rick stuttered," that's Kate old boyfriend. You took this picture _today_?" he asked her unbelievingly. "Yes, sadly, this just happened half an hour ago, Rick," Paula replied with a fake compassionate smile.

"You should have heard them, Rick, she told him something about having made her happy and hoping you will never find out about them meeting," Paula proceeded her evil charade, seeing how the realization hit Rick hard, his facial expression slowly changing from confused to disappointed, then filled with bitterness, and, finally, cold and detached.

"Oh, my poor Rick," Paula purred, "I hate to be the one that opens your eyes, but I felt like I had no other choice than to tell you…. I know it must be tough, after all that you have done for her…." Saying her alluring words, Paula approached him slowly, dropping her coat and her bag next to the small table in the process and then, when she stood closely to him, she put her hands on his face and said to him in a silky voice: "I would never hurt you like that, Rick, just let me tell you that. She doesn't deserve you. Never has…."

Looking into her eyes, Ricks mind was spinning around…. Hurt, yes the sight of Kate obviously cheating on him with Josh did hurt him, he felt like his heart had just been ripped out of his chest and torn into millions of pieces…. _No_ , he thought, _I won't let that happen again. I will never again have a cheating wife see me break because of HER! If I get hurt, so will her…._

Without hesitation, he slung his arms around Paula's waist and smirked at her arrogantly: "Well, Paula, I'm sure you know how to take my mind off of this unpleasant occurrence, am I right?" Before Paula could reply, he forced his lips on hers, plunging his tongue into her mouth, his demanding hands groping her body roughly. _Just help me forget this has happened_ , he thought….

"Rick", Paula mouthed breathlessly a couple of moments later, "let's take this party to your bedroom, shall we?"

"Excellent idea, honey," Rick replied with a charming grin, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

 _Fine_ , he thought, _tit for tat_ , _if Kate cheats on me, I will do the same thing to her_. Paula seemed more than willing to help him with this task, so he didn't waste any time and grabbed her hand, heading straight to his bedroom without further thought….

 **Meanwhile, outside the building:**

By the time she had reached her destination, Kate had trouble to balance the paper bag containing the cronuts, the huge takeaway-cup that was filled with cocoa and her bag when she passed the doorman. "Hello, Mrs. Castle, you are coming home early today," the doorman noticed. "Do you want me to call your husband to let him know that you are on your way up so that he can help you with your bags?" he asked her friendly.

"No need, Ernie, thank you", Kate replied with a big smile, "I want to surprise him." After having wished the doorman a good day, she entered the elevator and pushed the corresponding button for her floor. On her ride up, she searched her bag for her keys and the ultrasound picture that her OB/GYN had handed her earlier. Looking at the tiny spot that was her baby, Kate felt joy taking over her and she almost couldn't contain her happy tears. _Why do elevator rides always have to take so long_? she wondered impatiently. Finally, the elevator stopped and Kate quickly walked towards her doorstep. _Oh Rick_ , she thought hopefully, _you will love this_ ….

"Castle, are you home?" Kate called into the loft. There was no reply. _He must be in his office_ , she thought. When she walked past the couch, she noticed a woman's coat and a bag lying on the floor.

 _I have never seen that outfit on neither Martha, nor Alexis,_ Kate thought. Without thinking about it any further, she made her way to her husband's office. His desk, however, was empty, the laptop screen displaying its usual screen saver. Kate was about to leave the office and return to the living room when she heard a woman's moan, followed by the moaning of a male voice, one that she would always recognize _. What the hell is going on here_? she thought. There it was again, this particular sound, it was without a doubt the voice of a woman, and it came straight from hers and Rick's bedroom. Tentatively, she headed towards the bedroom, didn't dare to believe what was obviously going on in there….

As she approached the threshold, she hesitated briefly, closed her eyes, but then forced herself to open them to look at what was going on in front of her. There, on their bed, she saw her husband, stark-naked , lying between a woman's widely splayed legs, thrusting into her forcefully while she was moaning, "Yes Rick, don't stop, it feels so good…" Realization hit her when Kate identified the voice of Paula Haas, her husband's longtime agent. _No,_ Kate screamed inside her mind, shaking her head in disbelief _, this just can't be happening…_!

Being in shock, she lost hold of the cocoa cup which fell on the floor with a loud thud. The ultrasound pic that she had held in her other hand fell into the puddle of cocoa that was quickly spreading in front of her feet. Surprised at the sudden noise, Rick stopped his actions and looked over his shoulder. Kate felt a shiver creeping over her spine when her eyes met his. There was no sorry, no guilt in his eyes, just bitterness and a cold, calculating smirk on his lips… the Rick Castle she loved and trusted was nowhere to be seen….

"Why…? ... why, Rick… ?", Kate asked, tears coming to her eyes. Without waiting for his reply, she turned around and ran off the bedroom, only to stop in the living room when she heard him yelling his merciless reply: "You are not the only one who knows how to cheat, Kate!"

She had no idea what he meant, but her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain that suddenly spread in her lower abdomen. _My baby_ , she thought, then everything faded to black….

Ok... don't kill me. I don't know where this story will go. For now, it doesn't look good for Rick and Kate... reviews, please!


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you very much for your reviews and thoughts! This is the third and FINAL chapter. Of course, I was well aware of the fact that lots of people will hate the idea of Rick cheating on Kate, but, folks, please be assured, it will all be explained….. Some of you were rather pissed off about the turn of events in chapter 2, and I respect that. I guess I should take it as a compliment – my story somehow provoked strong emotions…. Anyway, here we go, I would love to hear what you think about my first fanfic!

 **This must be a joke… a cruel joke…..**

" _You are not the only one who knows how to cheat, Kate!"_

For a moment, Rick was tempted to continue his erotic intermezzo with his agent, but right after these fateful words came out of his mouth, he regretted them instantly. Then, a dumb sound that seemed to come from the living room reached his ears and he hastily got off the bed and started looking for his boxers that he lost earlier in the process. There in front of him, a brown puddle had spread over the wooden floor. In the middle he spotted a small piece of paper.

From a distance, it looked like a black-and-white scrawl, but after taking a closer look, Rick quickly recognized what it was. An ultrasound scan! Unsure how to react, he lifted the tiny piece of paper from the fluid mess around his bare feet and cautiously tried to clean it with his boxers.

 _Castle, Katherine_ , the imprint on the side stated. The image showed nothing but some lines and structures, but Castle, being an experienced father, knew that the picture he was holding in his shaking hands showed a tiny little embryo…

"Kate", he exclaimed with an erratic voice, but didn't get any reply. Paula, however, looked at him rather pissed off. "Riiick," she complained in a purring voice, "please come back to bed. That bitch is long gone so there is no reason why we shouldn't continue this great sexual encounter, don't you think?"

Without wasting another second on the naked brunette in his bed, Rick quickly slipped into his boxers, turned and began to walk towards the living room. The sight in front of him almost made his heart stop: there, on the ground, next to the couch, was Kate, lying somewhat twisted, unconsciously, not moving. Frightened at the sight, he rushed to her side, only to see that there was a considerable amount of blood soaking through her trousers… _Oh my god, what have I done_ , Castle thought helplessly, _please let her be okay_ …

He reached for her head, checking her breathing, and was relieved when he heard that she was taking small breaths. Hastily, he ran back to his office, grabbed his mobile from his desk and dialed 911, his fingers trembling in the process.

"Please, I need an ambulance, it's my wife, she is pregnant and fell and now she's unconscious and bleeding…" Castle spluttered into his phone, worry clearly written on his face. He gave his address and quickly ended the call. Then, he returned to Kate and held her hand while he was waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

At that moment, Paula, who was now fully dressed again, entered the living room from the office and gave him a speechless glare. "What freaking stunt is that drama queen pulling now, Rick?" she asked in a shrill voice. "Shut the f*ck up, Paula, she's unconscious, can't you see?" _AND she is having my baby_ , he added in thoughts _. I hope it is mine,_ Rick couldn't help but wonder. All doubts he had had in his mind were forgotten when he looked again at her face, pale and fragile, her breathing shallow and uneven, and at that moment he realized that he had made a huge mistake _. Kate_ , he thought, _please forgive me…_

 **At the hospital:**

As soon as the ambulance that was taking Kate to Bellevue hospital reached its destination, two doctors were busy taking her out of the vehicle and into the ER. Rick, who was sitting next to her stretcher in the ambulance during the whole drive, could see that one of the doctors was no other than Joshua Davidson, the man that Kate had allegedly cheated with on him…. Anger filled his mind, and Rick felt the sudden urge to push his fist into Josh's face. This thought, however, was soon dismissed when Josh approached him with a worried expression and asked him: "Hey Castle, what happened to her, she was perfectly fine when she left here an hour ago!" "I bet she was fine," Castle replied angrily, "because you just, and may I quote 'made her the happiest person alive'! "

At that time, anger was showing on Josh's face as well, and he replied unbelievingly: "What the hell are you talking about? Of course she was happy, because I had just informed her that she was in perfect health. She was worried about her baby, you moron…!"

"So, you and Kate have just met today? She came here as a patient?" Castle asked tentatively. Bit by bit, the picture became clearer, and he realized that had jumped to conclusions, seduced by Paula's evil charm and weasel words….

"Of course she came here as a patient", Josh interrupted his thoughts, "she was supposed to see my colleague, Dr. Palmer, who was busy treating a certain Mrs. Haas at the time Kate came her, so he asked me to run some tests on Kate. She was ok with it, and, after it turned out that everything was fine, she just got overwhelmed by happiness, I guess. Pregnancy hormones, you know…. But nothing happened between me and Kate, I can tell you that, man" Josh assured him.

"Hey, guys, I hate to interrupt, but we still have a patient here that needs our help, so if you could postpone that little chat of yours, that would be so nice…" the other doctor interjected rather impatiently.

Therefore, they hurriedly moved the stretcher that Kate was lying on into the ER. While the doctors were examining her, Castle paced along the hospital floor restlessly, waiting for news on his wife's condition. Finally, after what seemed like hours to him, a door was opened and Josh walked towards him. Castle didn't need to be a clairvoyant to interpret the look on Josh's face. It was the look of a doctor that was delivering bad news….

"How is she?" Rick began anxiously, "what about the baby?"….

"Kate is unconscious, but stable at the moment. It was rather tough for a moment but she's out of the woods now", Josh stated professionally. "And what about the baby, is the baby alright, too?" Rick asked with a trembling voice.

"I am so sorry, Castle, we did everything we could, but she lost it. There was nothing we could do." After these words, Josh gave Rick a sympathetic smile and continued "She will probably be asleep for the next couple of hours. Come on, I will show you her room." Still in shock, Rick just nodded and followed Josh as he started walking through the door in front of them.

The floors of the ICU had an intimidating atmosphere, and suddenly Rick felt thrown back 3,5 years ago when he went to the ICU to see Kate after her shooting. Flashbacks of emotions overcame him, and for a moment he wished he could just run and leave everything bad just behind him… "Here it is", Josh informed him, "just sit next to her and hold her hand, she might not show it, but she will most definitely feel your presence…" Josh then mumbled a quick good-bye and disappeared into another room. Hesitantly, Rick entered the small hospital room. In front of him, he saw his wife, her eyes closed, lying still and almost peacefully. She looked fairly lost in this huge hospital bed, as if her lean body was just too small to fit in.

All kinds of medical machines surrounded her bed beeping and blinking, making her condition look really seriously. The sight made him shiver deep inside. _This must be a cruel joke_ , Rick told himself. She wore a simple hospital gown and her left arm was wrapped in gaze - he spotted a drip with physiologic salt solution that led to her bandaged arm next to her bed. _She looks so beautiful, even in this condition_ , Castle thought sadly _. I hope she'll be able to forgive me_ ….

Then, he reached for her hand, and recalled Josh's words ' _She will most definitely feel your presence'._

Rick could only hope that she still wanted to feel his presence around her….

 **Several hours later…..**

Beep – beep – beep…. The sound that reached her ears and mind seemed somehow familiar. Slowly, Kate opened her foggy eyes to gather her surroundings. The bright light above her and the distant scent of disinfectant gave her a hint at her whereabouts. _Ok_ , she thought, _so I'm at a hospital… but, how did I get here? And why…?_ Then, realization hit her, the memory came back with a brutal force, images of her husband and his agent, f*cking wildly in hers and Rick's bed…. Tears came to her eyes, the memory almost too painful to revive, but then, another thought crossed her mind: _MY BABY_! her mind screamed, _what happened to my baby_? She began to shiver, her arms and legs shaking uncontrollably, when suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she saw HIM. Castle, sitting on a small plastic chair at the end of her bed. He was sleeping in a position that looked rather uncomfortable. Talking to her husband was the last thing she wanted to do now, but as she felt too weak to get up, let alone look for an alarm button, she saw no other option than to wake him.

Although she was reluctant at first, she raised her voice and called him. "Castle, wake up. I need to talk to a doctor! What happened to me?" Castle, however, raised his head sleepily and looked at Kate in disbelief. "Kate, you are awake…," he stated, obviously not knowing what else to say. She looked at him expectantly, but as he failed to keep talking, she looked again and it hit her…. The way his face looked, his eyes all red and puffy, deep wrinkles on his forehead…. He looked horrible, she thought. _Why did he cry_ , she wondered… A terrible thought crossed her mind… _the baby_ …. _something must have happened to the baby…._

"Rick", she began in a calm, unsteady voice, "is everything alright with our baby?" He looked her in the eyes, new tears already welling up, unable to give her the reply she was hoping for. "Please", she begged him, "tell me what is going on, I need to know!"….

With trembling voice, Rick finally answered her fearful question: "Kate, I am so sorry, but our baby is gone. You lost it." As soon as those fateful words had come out of his mouth, his head sunk to his chest and he began sobbing loudly. Kate, on the other hand, remained absolutely calm – she didn't even flinch. Frozen like an ice statue, she sat in her hospital bed, unable to move or to think, the fact that her baby was gone still processing in her mind….

Then, she found her voice again, and looked at her husband with cold, emotionless eyes: "This is all your fault, Castle. Our baby is dead because of YOU! This marriage is over. Now get the hell out of this room, and out of my life, once and for all!"

Rick gazed at her wife, tears hindering his sight, but the icy glare he was met with shook him to the core. _No, Kate, please, don't do that_ , he thought _, I am so sorry_! Despite his desperate attempts of the contrary, he was unable to speak the words, obviously still in shock, so he slowly stood up and, without turning around, left her room.

Beep - beep - beep.

There was no other sound in the windowless hospital room.

Beep – beep –beep.

The sound of her heart monitor filled her ears. No other noise was perceptible….

Beep - beep – beep.

Beep - beep- beeeeeep…

"Caaastle, turn that annoying alarm clock of yours off – NOW!" Kate complained sleepily.

Reluctantly, he turned around, let go of her waist and immediately missed the contact of their warm bodies spooning in loving embrace. With a deep sigh, he reached for his alarm clock and pressed the OFF button. He then turned around to look at Kate, who had an unreadable expression on her beautiful face.

"Oh my God, Rick," Kate began, "I just had the weirdest, craziest nightmare you can imagine. No, I correct, even you, as a writer, couldn't come up with such a horrible twist of events…! "

Looking curiously at his wife, Rick saw that she was still visibly shaken by her dream. Quickly, he crawled next to her side on the bed, slung his arms around her shoulders and tried his best to comfort her "Kate, darling, hey, whatever cruel things might have happened in your dream, it's not real – it is what you said – just a nightmare", Rick tried to calm her. "Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked cautiously.

"Oh, it was absolutely weird, I just found out that I was pregnant, went to double-check my health with a cardiologist who happened to be Josh in my dream…." Kate continued her rambling speech, "and when I came home to tell you everything was alright and that you were going to be a father again, I found you in bed cheating on me with another woman….and I, I just…." By that point of the story, tears were falling from her eyes and she shook her head in disbelief. "It felt so real, Rick…." Kate sobbed into his chest, her tears soaking his T-shirt.

"Wow, now that is some kind of a nightmare, I must say", Rick replied, visibly shocked. "You do know, Kate, that I would NEVER EVER cheat on you, right?"

"Of course, babe, I'm sorry for making you feel bad. Deep inside my heart I know it was just my imagination messing around with me…. and also, my raging hormones…." she added with a small smile.

"Hormones, I don't think I can follow you here, Kate," Rick replied confused. He stared at her somehow helplessly and waited for his wife to explain.

"Well, babe, you know what they say: in every lie or, in my case, nightmare, there is always a grain of truth… and, as far as I'm concerned, the part where I was pregnant was NOT made up by my imaginary brain….." Kate explained to him knowingly.

Letting her wonderful words sink in, Ricks gaze fell at her stomach, which was still covered under the blankets. Reaching out to touch her belly, not sure if he had understood her right, he asked with beaming eyes "So, you want to tell me that… you are pregnant?"

"Yes, Rick, I am pregnant. We are going to have a baby."

"Oh Kate, this is the best news ever". Thank you so much". Overwhelmed with emotion, he sunk his lips on hers and gave her a long, deep, loving kiss.

"Oh, and Rick, before I forget," Kate asked her husband several minutes later, "How is Paula doing, by the way?"

THE END

Okay, I hope everybody is happy with the ending. I never wanted to Rick and Kate to break up, because I am a Caskett shipper myself. Please let me know what you think…. reviews are welcome!


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